Sanchita Bathija (Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh) and Chanchal Bharti (Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh) 

Nagaland/Kohima Regional round of the K-Pop India Contest 2021 was held online on 6 October 2021 at 3:00 p.m. IST on the Youtube channel of Korean Cultural Centre India. This article contains excerpts from the statement of the winners of the dance and vocal categories and the regional round organiser regarding their experience of this event.

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Dance Category

 Sentiyangla Jamir (Winner)

Hello, I’m Sentiyangla Jamir. I am the winner of the Kpop India Contest 2021 Kohima Region (Dance category). This was my third time participating in this contest and all of my failures proved to be a stepping stone for this years’ success. In all this, I’ve been blessed to have people who are beautiful in every aspect, who supported and extended their love and encouraged me to move forward. Above all, I thank God for giving me success throughout this journey.

It sounds very lame but I always had a dream to visit South Korea, attend EXO and NCT concerts and get to see them personally. And unintentionally this dragged me to test my dancing skills, not expecting the best yet lighting up hope and a dream closer.

Lithunglo Yanthan (First Runner-up)

I’m Lithunglo Yanthan. I’m the first runner-up in the dance category of the K-Pop Contest 2021 Kohima Regional Round. The overall experience I would say was quite fun and thrilling. The tiring practice sessions and the nervous, never satisfying shoots were all such amazing experiences. Getting to see and learn from such talented fellow contestants was the best part of the experience.

My Love for K-Pop and dance was what motivated me to participate in the first place. To be able to showcase my love for both and make myself proud of accomplishing something in my interest, which has always been a topic of criticism, was the core of my inspiration. Thank you to my family, friends for being so supportive, and Hallyuwave Nagaland for guiding us throughout.

Kechangulie Theiinuo (Second Runner-up)

I am Kechangulie Theiinuo from the Angami community and I’m 20 years old and by the grace of God, I was among the winners of the recent Kpop India Contest 2021 Regional Round (Dance Category). Contesting with all the Good Dancers from our very own region was a great experience and also a challenging one for me. And as it was contested Online I was not able to know them personally but at least this contest brought me closer to people who have common interests like I do and getting to know them and their abilities itself was such a great experience for me.

I’m glad that I didn’t hesitate to take part in this contest. It was not long since I got into Dancing on K-Pops. When I started dancing on K-Pop, there were people who criticized and left negative comments just because I danced on Girl Groups but that didn’t stop me from dancing instead it just boosted my self-esteem. And this contest gave me a platform to prove them wrong, and that dancing doesn’t define your gender.

Vocal Category

Limatula Aier (Winner)

Annyeonghaseyo! I’m Limatula Aier, Kohima Regional Round winner (Vocal category). Born and brought up in Dimapur, Nagaland. Even though the regional round was held in online mode, I personally enjoyed the whole process of practicing and recording. The news about winning the Kohima regional round from the vocal category really made me overwhelmed with joy and emotion.

I’ve been a fan of K-Pop since 2017. Listening to Blackpink, Twice, BTS, and other bands or artists made me want to learn Korean songs and of course, the catchy choreography. Ever since I came to know about the K-Pop contest in India. I wanted to participate and show my love for kpop. Firstly, I would like to thank God, and secondly, my family and friends for their love and support. I would also like to thank HallyuWaveNagaland for always clarifying my doubts. Lastly, I would like to congratulate them on organising a successful regional round.

Northern Belles (First Runner-up)

 Hello, we are Northern Belles, 1st runner-up of the Kohima Regional round (K-Pop contest India 2021) in the vocal category. Firstly we’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Almighty God for his grace upon us. We’d also like to thank the organisers, KCCI and Hallyuwave Nagaland for organising this contest which has provided us a platform to help us grow in our journey as singers. Well to start off, we faced a lot of challenges since this was our first time participating in a K-Pop contest and one of which was the little practice we had due to the long distance between us. However, our passion for singing as well as our interest in k-culture was a driving force of motivation that enabled us not to give up despite the hurdles we faced. We will work harder next time. Thank you all.

Molungnenba Longkumer (Second Runner-up)

Hello, my name is Molungnenba Longkumer all the way from Mokokchung, Nagaland. I was placed as the second runners up in the vocal category for India’s K-Pop contest (regional round). Talking about my experience, it was a bit confusing at the beginning as it was my first time participating but the Hallyu team of Nagaland showed great kindness and helped me and so I seriously had a smooth adventure. This K-Pop contest has also helped me get to know that there are actually many esteemed personalities who have the same interest in K-Pop as me. Overall, it was a beautiful experience and I also feel blessed to have achieved the position of second runners up.

I’m pretty sure the other contestants would also agree on the fact that learning Korean songs is not that easy. I worked very hard and didn’t want my hard work to just go in vain and thus, I motivated myself to enter this contest to give justice to my hard work. Thank you.

Regional Organiser

HallyuWaveNagaland

On behalf of the HallyuWaveNagaland Team, I convey our sincere thanks to Korean Cultural Center India for their unparalleled opportunities for talented K-Pop lovers to express their talents. We hope in the future also to work with them for the greater glory to promote Hallyu Wave in Nagaland to the best. We are thankful to Hallyu Town for your generous contribution to sponsoring the Popularity Award. Thank you Hallyuism India for being prompt and courteous, and doing a professional and competent job in social media promotion. Congratulations to all the Kohima Regional Round contestants, you are all winners in our hearts. And biggest thanks to the devoted HWN Admins

Sincerely,

Keneingunuo Ecilia

HWN Founder

You can watch the Nagaland Regional Round here: